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Is the No. 3 returning to NASCAR?

July 4, 2013

The iconic No. 3 car may be returning to NASCAR. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

This doesn't qualify as breaking news, but Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s comments on Thursday afternoon in Daytona Beach add even more credence to the growing belief that Richard Childress Racing has definite plans to finally return the iconic No. 3 to a Sprint Cup car.

Nobody has used that number since seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt died carrying it on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. The sanctioning body owns the number, but Childress annually has the right of first refusal to use it. He has steadfastly kept the number, but refused to use it, even to the point many years ago of saying he hoped the number never returned to Sprint Cup.

But that was before his grandsons began working their way up the NASCAR ladder. Austin Dillon won the 2011 Camping World Truck Series title and is competitive in the Nationwide Series in RCR-prepared No. 3 Chevy Camaros. His younger brother, Ty, was the 2012 Truck Series rookie of the year and is a contender for this year's title in RCR-prepared No. 3 Chevy Silverados. Some NASCAR-watchers figure Austin will spend another year in Nationwide before moving to Cup when RCR veteran Jeff Burton retires after the 2014 season. Others feel RCR might promote Dillon in the No. 3 next year, joining teammates Burton and Paul Menard (Kevin Harvick will leave after this season).

And it's almost a lead-pipe cinch that when Austin gets to Cup, it'll be in an RCR-prepared Chevy bearing the late Intimidator's stylized No. 3. If so, that'll be just fine with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“I think it'll be great,” Junior said Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. “It was an iconic number for my father and it means a lot to a lot of his fans. This sport doesn't really retire numbers, and all the numbers have history tied to them for several reasons. The No. 3 is no different. Austin wanted to come up through the ranks driving the No. 3 in dirt racing and the No. 3 in the Truck Series and the No. 3 in the Nationwide Series. He's earned the right to run that number as long as he wants.”

Childress is among many drivers to use No. 3, some far more famous than others. Hall of Fame owner/driver Junior Johnson used it with some success in the 1960s. Childress never won with it, but Ricky Rudd gave RCR its first two wins with the number. And Earnhardt won six of his seven championships and got 67 of his 76 career wins with Childress in No. 3.

“It could have been anybody, but it's Austin (who likely will get the number in '15),” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It could have been any kid coming up through the ranks that had that number. Maybe he's not even an Earnhardt fan; maybe that was just his number and he wanted to run it. It's not really fair to deny somebody that opportunity, so I'm OK with it. That might not be the way a lot of people or some people feel, but I'm sure it's the minority. I think that a lot of people will be telling Austin positive things about it.”

Earnhardt is confident Austin Dillon has what it takes to be successful in Cup. He had 12 poles and four victories in the Truck Series races and has eight poles and two Nationwide wins, and is fifth in points. “I think he's really surprised everybody,” Junior said. “He's got great speed and has shown he can be aggressive and will work hard at every position. Just watching him run laps and watching him in races you see he's a tough competitor and works really hard. I think he's ready; he's ready to go.

“And it's exciting to see Richard (Childress) have something new to keep the fire going and keep RCR excited about its future. That rests squarely on the shoulders of those two kids (Austin and Ty Dillon). They were raised really well and I've been impressed every time I've been around them. Obviously, they do a lot of good things on the race track too. I'm excited for both of them.”